Data on mobility of international students to and from India

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How many Indian students go to study abroad every year? How many international students come to study in Indian universities and colleges?

It is often reported in media that somewhere between 200,000 -400,000 Indian students go abroad every year. It is incorrect due to misinterpretation of the data. The UNESCO Institute of Statistics reports enrollment data on degree-seeking internationally mobile students.

According to the last data available for 2014, nearly 234,00 Indian students were enrolled in different parts of the world. Here enrollment refers to students in various stages of their educational program and not just the first year students (new enrollment). Assuming that majority of the Indian students are pursuing two-year master’s program, the total number of students going abroad every year will be around 100,000.

Most of the international students studying in Indian universities and colleges come from the neighboring countries inAsia and the Middle East. Given that Indian institutions are allowed to enroll additional 15% students from overseas, there is an increasing interest among some institutions to proactively recruit international students. The Government of India is also keen on elevating the visibility and attractiveness of India for foreign students.